Inter-House Study Group
by Kishiro Kitsune
Summary: Pottertalia. Post-war Hogwarts. Matthew and his friends search for a place where they can study together without worry. One-shot.


"I'm not telling you the password to get into Slytherin."

Alfred pouted. "Aw, c'mon, Mattie! I'm not going to do anything! And I offered to tell you the password for Gryffindor!"

"It's just not a good idea," Matthew said as he opened the door to the library. He waved to the librarian, Madame Pince, who returned his greeting with a look of suspicion. He lowered his voice to a whisper and hoped Alfred would remember to do the same. "It's bad enough that our Houses are basically mortal enemies. Visiting each others' Common Room's won't help that."

"Yeah, I guess," Alfred replied in a tone suggesting it wouldn't be the last time he brought it up that evening.

Matthew didn't call him out on it, knowing it'd just start an argument and then they'd get kicked out of the library for the rest of the week. As displeased as Ludwig had been the last time it happened, Matthew didn't doubt that he'd refuse to speak with them until their banishment lifted if it happened again.

"Hey, Ludwig brought a friend with him? No fair!" Alfred complained as they neared their usual corner.

Matthew shuffled closer to his brother so he could peer around the bookshelf blocking his view. Sure enough, Ludwig was already there, along with Feliciano and a raven-haired boy who was even tinier than the Italian.

"What gives, Lud? Thought this was a four-person thing we had going on. You're upsetting the balance, dude!" Alfred said loudly, earning several dark looks from others in the area.

Matthew elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Back off, eh? We never said it just had to be us." He smiled at Ludwig's friend. "Sorry about him. I'm Matthew, by the way. And he's-"

"Alfred F. Jones!" He interrupted, pushing past Matthew to thrust out his hand.

The boy's eyes flickered between the two of them as he hesitantly reached out and shook Alfred's hand. "Ah, hello. I am Kiku."

"Cool." Alfred plopped down in the seat next to Kiku and loudly dropped his bag on the floor. "So, what are we studying today? Please tell me it's not history."

"You'll have to study it at some point," Matthew reminded him, taking his usual spot between his brother and Feliciano.

"Nah. That's what cramming at the end of the year is for."

Matthew and Ludwig sighed in disappointment.

"We're working on Charms right now," Feliciano said, sounding understandably excited. He was quickly proving to be the best in their year at casting them, a fact that several Slytherin first years were vocally bitter about. "Professor Flitwick wanted a foot and a half on the uses of levitation charm, right?"

Matthew nodded. "It was something like that. Also the history behind it."

"Blech," Alfred muttered, sticking out his tongue. "How can anyone write that much on a simple little spell? It's not really _that_ useful."

"It all depends on how you use it," Matthew argued. "Didn't mom tell us about someone on her squad who once levitated a rock and then had it drop from six stories to fall on a car at _just_ the right time? And maman uses it whenever she needs to get the Clabberts down from trees."

Alfred went quiet and slouched in his seat. "Yeah. I guess so..."

While Feliciano and Matthew got to work on the essay for Charms, comparing notes and occasionally getting up in search of a book or to stretch their legs, Ludwig reminded Alfred about the reading homework and set of questions for Defense Against Dark Arts. Before long, he and Kiku were embroiled in a lengthy conversation about dark creatures. Ludwig was left to remind them to keep their voices down whenever they started to get loud.

Things were going well for them until a particularly vindictive Slytherin in Matthew's year spotted Feliciano in the group and complained to Madame Pince that they were being too loud.

"But we didn't do anything!" Alfred exclaimed as they were forcibly escorted from the library.

"No more of this! I mean it!" Madame Pince told them. "I've warned you children before about causing too much noise and I've had enough! If I see the five of you together again in my library, I'll send you straight to the Headmistress!"

Knowing his brother would keep arguing if he didn't do something, Matthew gently took him by the arm and steered him away before things could get worse. Ludwig, Feliciano, and Kiku followed after them, all looking disappointed at the way their evening was ending.

"It's not fair!" Alfred said, sending a scowl over his shoulder. "Where else does she expect us to be able to study?"

"Well, there are the common rooms," Kiku pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that. I meant _together._ " Alfred's anger began to fizzle out, replaced with a sense of frustration over the situation. "I mean, you guys like doing this, right? All of us hanging out and working on homework?"

Ludwig was the first to voice his opinion. "It does work surprisingly well for us. From the stories my brother told me, I don't think there's been a group like ours since before the war."

Kiku nodded in agreement. "And it's no wonder House animosity is so high. We're all divided on our first day and then pitted against each other. House points should be a fun competition, but instead everyone takes it so seriously. They've made it so there's no real reason for students to mingle with other Houses."

"I'm not sure there's anything we can do to change that," Matthew said. "But maybe we can find another place to study. There are plenty of unused classrooms around. I bet we could get permission to clean up one of them."

There was a brief silence as they all took the time to consider the idea.

"We should talk to our Heads of House first," Kiku suggested. "One of them may be able to help. We may need permission from the Headmistress as well."

Everyone else agreed and soon it was time to go their separate ways, with promises to get together after breakfast.

.

* * *

.

Matthew tried to talk to Professor Slughorn, he really did. The man seemed to be in a constant state of doing _something_ , whether it was teaching or hurrying on his way to talk to someone. It was hard to imagine the portly potions master being so busy all the time, but he was.

Luckily, Ludwig and Feliciano had both talked to Professors Flitwick and Sprout, who both seemed pleased by the idea and had promised to bring it up at the next staff meeting. Until then, they advised to do nothing more to aggravate Madame Pince and stick to quiet pairs while researching in the library.

"So there's nothing we can do but wait?" Alfred asked when he heard the news. " _Lame._ "

"These kinds of things take time," Kiku said sagely.

When a fight broke out between Gryffindor and Slytherin during the second week of October, Professor Flitwick delivered the news that it would be asking for trouble if they set up a room where all Houses could interact. The duels in the halls were becoming more and more frequent and the professor's all agreed that there was too much of a risk, especially for the younger years.

Matthew and his friends reluctantly went through the days sticking to groups of two or three whenever they were in the library. Depending on what they were working on, he was typically paired with either Feliciano (and Ludwig) or Alfred.

Their study days continued that was until the weekend before Halloween, when Feliciano ran into the Great Hall during breakfast with a giant, beaming smile on his face. He quickly spotted Matthew and ran to the Slytherin table, wildly flailing his arms in excitement.

"Mattie! Mattie! You have to come see what I found! It's perfect _!_ " The tiny Italian declared. "Quick, Mattie!"

Thinking ahead, Matthew grabbed a napkin and wrapped up as much food as he could. One of his fellow first years glared when he nearly knocked over her goblet, but he didn't pay her much attention as he mumbled an apology and hastily rose to follow his excited friend.

Feliciano led him out into the main hall and then up the main marble staircase. Up an up the stairs they went, past the first floor and onto the second and then the third.

"Where are we going, Feli?" Matthew asked, walking quickly to keep up with the Hufflepuff.

"You'll see!" Feliciano chirped. "It's super awesome! Well, not _how_ I found it. I got lost and kept getting all turned around and that's when I found it!"

Matthew decided to conserve his breath, knowing he wouldn't get much else out of him until he was ready to reveal his big secret. He was a lot like Alfred in that way.

They continued on their way, continuing in an upward fashion. Feliciano had to backtrack several times when a staircase decided to move (or not move). Matthew knew they were nearing the top floor, but as they were on the opposite side of the school from the astronomy wing, he honestly had no idea where they were.

"Wait here," Feliciano instructed, stopping in front of an interesting tapestry depicting a man teaching a group of trolls how to do ballet. He squeezed his eyes shut and walked back and forth down the hallway several times, whispering to himself.

It was on his third time back that Matthew noticed a door popping into existence across from the tapestry. He couldn't help but gape. Hogwarts never failed to surprise him, even after nearly two months of roaming the halls.

"A hidden room?" Matthew asked.

Feliciano opened his honey-colored eyes. " _S_ _í_ _!_ But that's not the best part!" He happily bounded over and seized the handle, pushing the door wide open.

Matthew stepped closer to get a better look and marveled at the size of the room. It wasn't a hidden, unused classroom that had spent years and years collecting dust like he thought, but a well-kept and cozy looking place with shelves upon shelves of books lining the walls. A fireplace crackled merrily on the left side of the room, bathing the rugs and furniture near it with warm light. A massive, rectangular table took up space on the right side and was accompanied by six cushioned chairs. A chandelier hanged overhead, providing just the right amount of light.

"This is amazing," Matthew breathed, truly awed. "Does Ludwig know about this yet?"

Feliciano shook his head. "You're the first one I've told! Luddy gets up early to eat and then goes jogging with Gil, and Al sleeps in too long and I didn't want to wait! Do... do you think they'll like it?"

"I think we're going to have a hard time getting them to _leave_ ," Matthew said honestly. "Just watch, they'll both go straight for the books. Kiku too."

Feliciano giggled. "Maybe Al should've been a Ravenclaw instead."

"Maybe," Matthew said. "So what House do you think I should've been in?"

Feliciano thought about it for a minute. "I dunno... What about Hufflepuff! Then you could be with me!"

Matthew smiled wistfully. "That'd be nice. None of my Housemates really like me all that much... The only two who go out of their way to be nice are Francis and Lars. And the guys on the team, I guess. They've at least been friendlier since I stopped the Quaffle one day at practice..." He became aware of what he was saying and who he was saying it to and whirled around in alarm. "You- you can't tell! Anyone! I, oh, _maple._ "

Feliciano only looked amazed by the news. "They're letting you play Quidditch? But I thought first years weren't allowed!"

"We don't have many people who want to play," Matthew reluctantly admitted. "Slytherin House is so small compared to the others..." He paused and shook his head. It wasn't the time to voice his concerns. "I'm just on reserve, anyway. I won't have to play in any games unless someone gets hurt. But you can't tell anyone about this! Not even Ludwig!"

"Don't worry, Mattie! I can keep a secret!" Feliciano promised. "Oh, but Luddy should be back from his run by now! Lets go find him!"

Matthew agreed and the two set off to track down the rest of their group.

.

* * *

.

By the time they rounded up their friends, they ended up with two new additions to the group.

While the others seemed perfectly content with the two of them, Matthew couldn't shake the weariness he felt towards Ludwig's older brother. He wasn't sure if it was the snowy white hair or the piercing red eyes or the absolutely bizarre laugh, there was just something about the third year Hufflepuff that put him on edge.

And then there was Feliciano's older brother; a grumpy, second year Gryffindor who spent most of their walk up the multitude of staircases whining about how far away it was. Feliciano made one tiny joke about going to find someone named Antonio to carry him the rest of the way, which brought about a spew of colorful vocabulary and had Lovino stomping the rest of the way.

Feliciano's pleased smile made Matthew suspect that he'd planned it that way.

"Maybe _you_ should have been in Slytherin," Matthew said in undertone, referencing their earlier conversation.

Feliciano laughed and skipped ahead to open up the secret room. He ignored the questions thrown his way as he paced back and forth, knowing they'd all be answered once he was done.

Sure enough, the moment the door materialized, Lovino and Alfred went quiet with a simultaneous "Oh!"

"You found this?" Ludwig asked as they all walked in and began exploring the room. He watched as Kiku and Alfred went straight for the books, eagerly examining the titles and pulling down a few to show each other. Lovino, Gilbert, and a somewhat reluctant Matthew gravitated towards the fire and comfortable-looking couches and armchairs on the other side.

Feliciano nodded, suddenly going shy. "Do you like it?"

A rare smile graced Ludwig's face. "It's perfect, Feliciano."

.

* * *

.

From then on, the secret room on the seventh floor became their go-to place to study for the original four. Kiku tagged along most days, more for the company than anything, and on occasion they were joined by Gilbert or Lovino, who were willing to offer advice if they felt like it. (Mostly the two played exploding snap and distracted Alfred from his homework.)

It was a nice balance they'd achieved.

A balance which was maintained until the day Alfred brought along a Gryffindor tag-along by the name Elizaveta Héderváry.

"Well, we wanted an Inter-House thing, right?" Alfred said with a careless shrug. "And Liz is cool. You should invite some Slytherins, Mattie!"

Before Matthew could say a word ore on the subject, his brother zipped away to take a seat squarely between Elizaveta and Gilbert, who couldn't have looked less pleased to see each other.

It wasn't like he'd never thought about inviting someone from his House to their secret room, it was just hard to choose who to ask. Most of them preferred to stick with their "own kind" and at best tolerated people from other Houses.

He sighed and headed over to join Ludwig, Feliciano, and Kiku at the table.

"Something wrong, Matthew?" Ludwig asked, looking up from his potions essay.

Matthew shook his head. "Not really. Just thinking about something Al said." He spent a moment staring blankly at the table, trying to decide if he wanted to ask them about inviting more people.

"You don't need to be shy around us," Feliciano spoke up, jarring him from his thoughts. "We're your friends, Mattie! We wanna help!"

"I know," Matthew automatically responded. It took him another few minutes to gather his courage to ask. "If I said I was thinking about inviting someone from my House, what would you say?"

Feliciano's quill nearly slipped from his fingers as he looked up at Matthew with a surprised expression. His quiet 'oops' as he got a better grip did not escape Ludwig's attention.

"Well..." Kiku cautiously began.

"I say you invite Francis!"

A startled, high-pitched squeak escaped Matthew's throat as he jumped in his seat thanks to the sudden, loud voice in his ear. He turned around, features scrunched in anger, and glared as best he could at Gilbert.

The Hufflepuff backed away and laughed. "Oh, man! You should see your face, Birdie! You're too cute, you know that?"

"I- what?" Matthew's voice came out just as high as the sound he'd made seconds before. He paused to clear his throat.

Gilbert didn't pay any attention. "Anyway, you should totally invite Francis up here! He's the coolest Slytherin I know! Well, next to you, I guess. Though I'd classify you more as 'cute' than 'cool', Birdie."

Matthew had no idea how to respond to that, aside from a quiet "I guess so?" and a helpless glance in Ludwig's direction. When he looked back, Gilbert was gone.

"You got a nickname from Gil!" Feliciano sounded delighted. "That means he likes you!"

"And that's a good thing?" Matthew asked, unsure.

"It's better than him not liking you," Ludwig told him as he looked back at his essay. "Do you remember what Professor Slughorn was telling us about stirring clockwise versus counterclockwise?"

Matthew shook his head and reached down to retrieve his books and parchment. "I think it had to do with the properties of the ingredients and how they mix together, but I'm not completely sure. Do you think it's in our book?"

Ludwig's shoulders slumped slightly. "I've already looked. I can't find it mentioned anywhere." He didn't react when Feliciano tugged his potions book away and slowly began flipping through the pages. "I should have written it down, but it was right at the end of class as the bell was ringing. I thought he said it was in the book, but maybe I misheard?"

"Luddy," Feliciano said, tugging on the sleeve of his friend's robe. "Is this what you're looking for?"

Matthew could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen Ludwig look so relieved.

"You're quite good at finding things," Kiku complimented. "I wish you had been here last year, when I lost a good luck charm made by my grandmother."

Feliciano looked said. "I'm sorry, Kiku."

Kiku smiled politely. "It's not your fault. Still, it would be nice if I could find it..."

"What did it look like? We can all keep an eye out for it. Who knows, it might turn up, eh?" Matthew said.

It took Kiku a moment to recover from how kind his friends were being and then he began to describe it. As he spoke, Feliciano looked more and more excited until he finally ducked under the table to get to his bag. When he emerged, he had in his hands a small, silver object – the exact thing Kiku had been describing.

"One of the cats I play with had this in his mouth the other day. I thought it was pretty, so I held onto it," Feliciano explained. He handed it over to Kiku, who gently cradled it in his hands.

"Arigatou, Feliciano-kun."

.

* * *

.

Francis's face, when Matthew invited him to the secret study room, was one of childlike wonder. The teen had at first been interested just because it was a secret, but when Matthew mentioned how Gilbert had been the one to suggest asking him, he turned almost giddy with joy.

"We have been friends since we were little," he explained, his French accent more pronounced than usual. "Gilbert, Antonio, and I. Like the three musketeers! But when we started school here... ah, it's hard to keep close friendships when you're in separate Houses. At least Gilbert and Antonio have each other."

It was then that Matthew started to realize the true value of the room.

It was more than a place for them to do homework together without worrying about being too loud. It was much more special and much bigger than that.

The room was a safe haven where they didn't need to worry about who was in what House. There, they were all just students of Hogwarts.


End file.
